Feminist Lunch Series: Body Image Begins Earlier Than We Think: Interrupting the Intergenerational Transmission of Body Dissatisfaction

The last Feminist Lunch of fall 2026 will take place Nov. 20th at 12:30pm in the Harriet Irving Library, room 303, on UNB Campus in Fredericton featuring Emilie Lacroix.

The talk is titled: “Body Image Begins Earlier Than We Think: Interrupting the Intergenerational Transmission of Body Dissatisfaction”.

Abstract: Eating disorders and body dissatisfaction are often treated as problems of adolescence and young adulthood, yet the foundations of how we relate to food and our bodies emerge much earlier. Drawing on a meta-analysis and three longitudinal studies I conducted examining body image development, this talk explores how body dissatisfaction and eating pathology are transmitted across generations and why prevention efforts may be arriving too late. I will discuss how family-centred, size-inclusive prevention approaches can disrupt these patterns and foster healthier developmental trajectories while creating opportunities for caregivers to reshape their own relationships with food and their bodies.

Dr. Lacroix is an assistant professor of Psychology at UNB. She holds a BA from McGill, and an MSc. and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on disordered eating and negative body image, including questions related to their development, prevention, and treatment. In partnership with collaborators at Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health, she established and codirects the Maritime Eating and Appearance Lab (MEAL), a research group that spans psychology, psychiatry and nursing.

All are welcome! There will be light refreshments.

The Feminist Lunch Series is organized by: UNB/STU University Women’s Centre, UNB Gender & Women’s Studies Program, UNB Libraries and UNB Alumnae association.